Garment-shaper.



M. J. HOFFMAN.

GARMENT SHAPER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, 1914.

, 1,1Q2A31, Patented Jun 8, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

files 5 e 5 M. J. HOFFMAN.

GARMENT SHAPER.

APPLICATION EILED AUG-24, 1914.

PatentedJun 8, 1915.

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MORRIS J; HorrMAmor cmcae ittmoxs.

1 GARMENT-SHAPER.

ieaasi.

To all whom it mai concern:

Be it known that I, hTORRIS J. HorEMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resii dent of Chicago, county of Cook, and State Specification of Letters Patent Application filed Augustj24, 191 4. ser al No. 55,251."

of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Shapers,

of which the following is declared to bea full, clear, and exact description. 7

This invention relatesto garment shaper, and its primary object isto provide a device of simple construction for-use in stretching the shoulder portion of coats and vests so as to give proper shape to them at hollow places at the shoulders] To such ends" this invention'consists in the several novel features hereinafter dek scribed and claimed I The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which z+ V Figure 1 is a perspective. view of a garment shaper embodying a simple form of the invention; Fig. 2 is a rearview of the stretching forms; Figi3is a plan of the upper form; Fig. 1 is a plan of the lower form; Fig. 5 is a vertical 'section taken through the upper and lowerforms, the line of section being indicated a-tj55' inv Figs. ,3 and 4; Fig. 6 is a similar section showing the parts in a different position; 'Fig.fl. 7 is a vertical, detail section taken on line 7' 7' of Fig.3; and Fig. 8 is a detail section showing certain felt covering for the forms. Referring to said drawings, 10, designates' a table, at the rear of which is a -or pivoted thereto in but extending lengthwise of the form may" be provided, if so desired.

"Patented Jones, 1915.

Associated with the upper form andopposite to the recessed stretching member or connected with the upper form, as forinstance, by pivot pin 21. The upper form has an opening or recessed portion 22, for

lower face 23 of the stretching member is shaped to correspond with the contour of the recessed portion 17 of thelower form, and fittmg'thereintoduring a certain por- 121011 of the operation of the device. Other stretching members or blocks 24, 25, may be provided on the upper form above the recessed portions18, 19, and if desired they may be made integral with the upper form the manner of the stretcher 20. "j a 3 Means are provided for raising and lowering the. upper form and for raisin portion 1'1, is a block 20, which isv receiving the stretching member, and the and I a depressing the stretching members. 11 the lower stationary form 11, above which is an upper, movable form 12.{ Preferably the two are pivoted together, as, for instance, by

hinges 13, secured attherear edgesof the forms.

Means'are provided for heating the lower form, and in the simple arrangement shown, said form is made hollow to receive a'gas burner 14, although if'desi'red'steam may be adlnittedto the hollow of the form to supply the necessary heat. The faces 15, 16 of the forms are the working faces between which. the portion of a garment to be operated on is placed, and the face of one form, for instance the lower form, has a recessed portion 17, which slopes down toward the rear edge of the form; it is curved in cross section, and "merges into the flat face of the form. The recessed ortion 17 extends crosswise of the forman other recessed'portions 18, 19, similar in character,

simple arrangement shown for accomplish 'j ing this result,.-twoupright links orbars 26, maybe used, said bars being preferably connected atthe top and bottom by cross bars 27, 28,'and the lower cross-bar conlower form and rod 30. acts to raise the up- .per form. -The upper cross-bar 27 exten i form and across the .stretchmg members and the upright bars across the upper 26, are connected to the ends of the'upper formby pins 31, secured to bars 32, that are heated "to a treadle 29,"-by; a rod 30. A} coiled tension spring 3O secured to the fastened to the upperform. The pins-31,

enter vertical slots-33 in the bars 26, and.

compression springs 34: are interposed between said pins and the upper ends of the slots. When in raised position the pins rest in the bottom of the slots and whenever the treadleis moved down the upper form is lowered and pressed down upon the lower form or piece of garment laid thereon, the

lower face of the V Q meager thus sustaining the stretching member; and permitting the crossbar and upper form to move down toward. the lower form before the cross-bar begins to depress the stretching members.

Means are provided for smoothing the cloth and preventing wrinkling thereof while the upper form is being lowered upon the cloth, and a simple means comprises two smoothing members, here shown in the form of oppositely moving fingers, 38, one at each side of the stretching block, (see Figs. 3 and 5), pivotally secured. in recessesin the form 12, and spring pressed in a downward direction by springs from each other and downward,.as shown,

- and while the form is being lowered, their ends press against the cloth on both sides of the recessed portion 17, and swing away from each other thereby smoothing the cloth over said recess. The smoothing fingers move back into the recesses in which they are pivoted, while the form 12 is being lowered, so that when fully lowered, their lower faces are flush with the lower face of the upper form. Preferably the under faces of the smoothing fingers '88, are roughened or serrated to enable them to take a firm hold on the cloth.

If desired the working faces of the forms and stretching members may be covered with felt or other suitable fabric as seen at 40 in Fig. 7, and held in place by strips of metal .41, screwed to the forms and stretching members.

' between the two forms.

In the operation of this device the lower form is first heated to the desired temperature and the piece of the cloth (A) to be stretched, is laid on the lower form with its upper edge, a, placed as far back as itwill go The treadle is then depressed and the upper form therewith lowered upon the cloth, clamping it tightly between the two forms, the two smoothing fingers 38, simultaneously stretching the cloth "overthe recessed portion 17, as the upper form approaches the lower one. Continued downward movement of the treadle compresses the springs 34, and puts more pressure on the cloth, and at the same time the cross-bar 27 comes down upon the stretching members and depresses them, thereby forcing down the portions of the material lying over the recessed portions 17, 18, 19, into said recessed portions and smoothing those portions. The parts are held in this position for sufiicient time to effect the stretching'of the piece and the foot is then taken oil the treadle, the spring 30 lifting the links and therewith the upper form and the stretching blocks.

' With this device unskilled operators may give the garment the right amount of stretching and at the proper places.

Various alterations and modifications of the form of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit of this invention and I desire, therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of construction shown and described, but intend in the following claims to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

' 1. A garment shaper, comprising two companion forms for clamping between them a part of a garment, one movable toward and away from the other, the working face of one form having a recessed portion, and the working face of the other form having an opening therein, and a stretching member movably mounted in said opening and adapted to enter said recessed portion and therewith stretch that part of a garment overlying said recessed portion.

2. A garment shaper, comprising two' companion forms having opposing working faces between which a part of a garment is clamped, one form movable toward and away from the other, one of said forms having a recessed portion in its working face, and the other form having a stretching member fulcrumed in an opening therein and adapted to'enter said recessed portion, and means for actuating the movable form and stretching member carried thereby.

'3. garment shaper, comprising two companion forms,having opposing working faces, and one pivoted upon the other, one

form having one or more recessed portions in its working face, and the other form having a corresponding number of stretching members movably mounted thereon, and adapted to enter said recessed portions and means for bringing one form down upon the other, and for depressing the stretching members into the recessed portions and therewith stretching that part of a garment overlyingthe recessed portions.

Y 4. A garment shaper, comprising two forms, one being stationary and having a recessed portion in its upper face, and the other pivoted thereto along an edge and arranged to be swung down thereupon, said movable form having a stretching block pivotally secured in an opening therein opposite the recessed portion of the stationary form, and'arranged to be depressed into said recessed portion.

5. A garment shaper, comprising a stationary form, and a movable form hinged thereto along one edge, one of said forms having a recessed portion in its working face and the other form having a stretching block pivotally secured in an opening therein, and arranged to be depressed into said recessed portion of the other form, and means for actuating said movable form and stretching block.

6. A garment shaper, comprising a stationary form, and a movable form hinged thereto along one edge, one of said forms having a recessed portion in its Working face and the other form having a stretching block pivotally secured in an opening there- 1n, a treadle and connection between the movable form, stretching block and treadle.

7. A garment shaper, comprising a stationary form, and movable form hinged thereto along one edge, one of said forms having a recessed portion in its working face and the other form having a stretching block pivotally secured in an opening there- 7 in, a treadle, a pair of links connected to said treadle and to said movable form, there being a slight amount of lost motion in the connection with the movable form, and means moving with said links for actuating the stretching block. 8. A garment shaper, comprising a stationary form,,and a movable form hinged thereto along one edge, one of said forms having a recessed portion in working face and the other form having a stretching block pivotally secured in an opening therein, a cross bar extending across said movable form and stretching block and means for raising and lowering said cross bar and therewith raising and lowering the movable form and stretching block,

9. A garment shaper,'comprising a sta tionary form, and a movable form hinged thereto along one edge,-one of said forms having a recessed portion in its working face and the other form having a stretching block pivotally secured in an opening there-' in, means for depressing the movable form to press the garment'tightly between the two forms and thereafter depressing the stretch-v lng block into the recessed portion of the lower form. 10. A garment shaper, comprising a stationary form having a flat working face formed wlth a recessed portion, means-for.

supplying heat to said form, a movable form associated therewith and having a fiat working face arranged to press against the flat face of the stationary form, a stretching blockpivotally connected to said movable form and adapted to enter said recessed portion of-the stationary form, and means for actuating said movable form and stretching block. 7

11. A garmentshaper, comprising a stationary' form, a movable formthereabove,

one of said forms having a recessed portion 7 in the face opposing the other form, and said other form having a stretching block arranged to be depressed into said recessed portion, and two diverging smoothing fingers, movably secured to the movable form, one finger being located at each side of said stretching block and arranged to engage the cloth to be stretched, and smoothen the same across the recessed portion while the movable form approaches the stationary form.

12. A garment shaper comprising a stationary form and a movable form hinged thereto at one edge, the stationary form having a recessed portion in its working face, a stretching block carried by the movable form and arranged to be depressed into said recessed portion, a pair of smoothing fingers, one on each side of said block and piv-- otally secured to said movable form, said fingers extending toward the stationary form on oblique lines, away from each other,

and springs for yieldingly pressing said fingers toward the stationary form.

13. The combination movable, clamping forms, the clamping faces of which are flat in the main portions and between which the material to be stretched is adapted to be clamped in a flat condition, a garment stretching member carried by one of two relativelyof said forms, and garment smotheners, one

at each side of the garment stretching member, said garment smotheners being carried by one form and co-acting with the other form to smoothen the material, at least one of them having a pushing action along the face of the material in a direction away from the other smoothener.

. 14. The combination of two relatively movable forms having flat plane faces be- I tween which part of a garment is clamped, one of said forms having a garment stretching member, and two oppositely moving smoothingfingers, one on each side of the stretching member and pivoted to the form having the stretching member, and co-acting ment therebetween.

In witness whereof I have hereto executed the above instrument at Chicago, Illinois,

this 20th day of August, A. D. 1914.

MORRIS J. HOFFMAN. Witnesses:

CHARLEs'O. SHERVEY, ANNA J. Cotton. 

